Kite Runner Essay

English 12

17 April 2013

Kite Runner Essay

Symbolism is something that is used as a representation of other things. A lot of the time, symbolism has something to do with connotation. By adding symbolism to a novel it can make it interesting and can give a novel more meaning. In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, symbolism occurs throughout the novel. These can include the kite, the slingshot, Hitler, and Sohrab.

In the novel, the kite played a big role. The kite represented numerous things. It symbolized childhood, freedom, and innocence. Whenever Amir thought of or would see a kite, it would bring him back to memories of his childhood. “Then I glanced up and saw a pair of kites, red with long blue tails, soaring through the sky…And suddenly Hassan’s voice whispered in my head.”(pg 1) Kites would bring back the good memories with his childhood friend, Hassan. As kids one of the things Amir enjoyed more than writing was kite running with Hassan. The kite also comes in play at the end of the novel when Amir takes Sohrab to a park and finds a kite seller. Amir shows Sohrab what used to be one of Hassan’s tricks to defeat one of the other kites in a battle. “Behind us, kids were scampering, and a melee of screaming kite runners was chasing the loose kite drifting high above the trees.”(pg 271)

The slingshot can represent protective being. In the beginning of the novel Hassan uses a slingshot to shoot rocks the size of walnuts to protect himself and Amir. “Hassan had pulled the wide elastic band all the way back. In the cup was a rock the size of a walnut.” The slingshot was a reoccurring object throughout the novel. Towards the end of the novel when Amir is fighting Assef, Sohrab uses a slingshot to defend Amir. “His hands was cocked above his shoulder, holding the cup of the slingshot at the end of the elastic band which was pulled all the way back…the slingshot made a thwiiiiit…”(290-291) These parallel scenes show how the slingshot was used to protect Amir...